Pope Francis speaks at World Youth Day: Gay clergy good. Women bad.

Students and youths from all over the world recently flocked to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for World Youth Day. Initiated in 1986 by Pope John Paul II, this event takes place each Palm Sunday at local levels, and internationally every two to three years.

What is World Youth Day? According to worldyouthday.com:

There have been 11 International World Youth Day celebrations, where the youth continue to answer the invitation of the Holy Father in staggering numbers and carry home the message received there to be Christ’s light to the world. While these events are organized by the clergy and laity of the Catholic Church, youth of all faiths are invited to attend and encounter Christ, making this gathering truly universal.

What could be better than bringing hundreds of thousands of young girls and boys together with scores of old men having a penchant for child molestation. You think our schools are unafe!

A recent BBC article examined a few quotes from the newest Pontiff to the world’s youth, mainly his stance on gays and women. What seems clear is gays are now seen as acceptable. Women, not so much.

Referring to homosexuals, Pope Francis said, “”If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?” Uh, you are the Pope. Second in charge after Jesus. Your job is to interpret God’s will. Judging people is what you do.

Pope Francis continued saying gay clergymen and priests should have their sins forgiven and forgotten. This is a bit like pardoning yourself for a crime you’ve committed for centuries and will continue to commit in the future. Without gay clergy, there would be very few Catholic priests in the world.

When asked about women as priests, the Pope maintained there was no place for them as religious leaders, saying:

“We cannot limit the role of women in the Church to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more.”

“But with regards to the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and says no… That door is closed.”

Sounds a lot like the Pope is making a judgement here regarding women’s roles in the Church. But who is he to judge? Oh wait, we’ve already answered that question.

What does any of this have to do with education? World Youth Day is for the youth of the world. It is an indoctrination of students from every corner of the globe into how one of the mightiest companies on planet Earth dictate how we act towards one another.

What is their message to these students? Women are second class citizens.

The Catholic Church hides behind the veil of tradition when limiting the roles of women within its hierarchy, while at the same time it pats itself on the back for promoting a self serving progressive stance on gay men in the clergy.

I certainly would not want my students to hear this message from one of the most powerful organizations on the planet. Yet, hundreds of thousands camped out on the sandy beaches of Copacabana hoping for a morsel of wisdom from Pope Francis. Hopefully, the comments of the Holy Father were as disappointing and unsatisfying to the youth of the world as they were to me.